December 3, 2022

So it was, that while [Joseph and Mary] were there*, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7

*BETHLEHEM! The house of bread is where God manifested His love toward humanity by sending His Son, the Bread of Life, into the world. Clothed in human flesh, this helpless babe brought spiritual nourishment to all people. The scene of a cattle stall and the animals with Jesus, the tiny newborn, in the crude manger brings a flood of gratitude and joy, along with sorrow and sadness for what lay ahead. The swaddling cloths which were so gently wrapped around His tiny body may have been an old tunic—or some other well-used fabric— torn into strips. They had surely been carefully and tenderly washed… lovingly prepared for the King of the universe. The Savior who entered our broken world to clothe us in His righteousness was clothed in unimaginable humility. Such clothing was as graveclothes, a sign of His impending death.

And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. Revelation 12:4b

Chapter 12 of Revelation, using powerful symbolic language, provides a sweep of events from the time of the birth of Jesus until His return to gather His faithful “bride.” The woman, symbolizing God’s people, had been identified as the chosen people through whom the Savior of the world was to be born. Some 600 years earlier, Daniel had prophesied in Babylon of the coming Savior. Thus, these prophesies were available to Gentile wise men who studied them through the centuries. These wise kings made a great and perilous journey to behold and to worship the baby King, bearing costly gifts for Him. The entourage from the east was large and impressive. It is ironic that His own people, in full possession of the Holy Scriptures, were unaware of His arrival.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2:1-3

Herod was troubled because Satan manifested his hatred for the baby Jesus through Herod’s selfishness—“King of the Jews” was Herod’s title! Herod’s “management style” was quite well known, therefore all Jerusalem [was troubled] with him. This statement makes it clear that the focus of God’s people had been distracted onto earthly matters. The prophecy of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:15 reached its fulfillment in this horrific reality: Roman soldiers were dispatched to murder all the male children two years old and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding districts, per Herod’s order (Matthew 2:16).

In listening to his own voice of selfishness, Herod subjected himself to, and aligned himself with, the will of Satan, as revealed in Revelation 12:4 above. I must be wary of listening to my own voice! The moment I begin to debate with God over a point that He is making with me, I am in danger of convincing myself to move away from His will. The potential consequences could spread to others, indeed many others, and be much deadlier than I was ever able to fathom.

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25